Law student is 'driving' across America, swing by swing

May 3, 2013
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Luke Bielawski will spend summer 2013 whacking golf balls from coast to coast, raising awareness and donations to benefit students at the inner-city Providence Cristo Rey school in Indianapolis. / The Indianapolis Star

by Dan McFeely, The Indianapolis Star

by Dan McFeely, The Indianapolis Star

But Tuesday, he plans to tee off from the "sand trap" beaches of the Pacific Ocean, aiming east toward the Atlantic, where 110 days and nine states later he expects to pitch his final shot into the sea.

Bielawski, a 24-year-old law school student from Fishers, Ind., has decided to spend his summer whacking golf balls from coast to coast, raising awareness and donations to benefit students at Providence Cristo Rey High School in Indianapolis.

"I was just searching for a way to have a positive impact on the lives of young people," Bielawski said. "And one day last October, I was sitting in my basement watching Forrest Gump, and it just hit. Why not golf across America?"

Bielawski, who is calling his journey "From Tee to Shining Tee," hopes to raise $100,000 to pay for a dozen scholarships to the small Catholic school that caters to underprivileged kids.

Bielawski's 2,500-mile journey mostly will take place along paved, two-lane country roads and remote highways from Ventura, Calif., to Kiawah Island, S.C. But he will have to putt his way through congested areas in many cities and towns.

Before it's over, the self-professed golf nut will swing the club about 48,000 times, whacking at about 3,600 golf balls - most of which he expects to lose along the way to the sands of the desert, the fenced ranches of Texas or the wet marshes of Mississippi.

Driving a donated John Deere Gator, Bielawski will tee off daily at sunrise, move at a 19-minute-per-mile pace, and swing until sunset.

"When we get into the heat of the Southwest, we will probably take a break," he said.

Joined by cousin Nick Bielawski, who will drive a separate truck and camper, he plans to sleep in church parking lots as they make their way from California to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and, finally, South Carolina.

Along the way, he hopes to drum up publicity for Providence Cristo Rey, whose Cristo Rey Network nationally runs 25 schools with about 6,500 students.

"Traditionally, people who provide support for our mission are executives of corporations, leaders of foundations or individuals who are in a financial position to do so," said Joe Heidt, president of Providence Cristo Rey in Indianapolis. "Someone in grad school is usually not one of those who can provide such a generous donation. For Luke to use one of his passions, golf, to devise such a plan, it's just a wonderful idea."

Wonderful, perhaps. But he will find hazards along the way.

Not only will Bielawski keep his eyes peeled for rattlesnakes, wild boar, alligators and other creatures, he also will be drifting very near the U.S.-Mexican border in parts of Arizona and New Mexico.

And his parents have taken note.

"As you might imagine, my wife is incredibly concerned," said Joe Bielawski, Luke's father. "Luke has been very sensitive to our concerns and took the initiative to contact border agents, town marshals and state police posts all along his chosen path."

When Luke Bielawski first told his parents, they thought it was a crazy idea. Ten months later, they still do.

"Of course it remains a crazy idea," said Joe Bielawski, who can't fathom a kid giving up his final summer of sleeping in and playing "real golf at a real golf course" to do this.

"But his idea to raise money in order to help others is an incredibly powerful purpose. He will meet people and, God willing, experience America like very few people do," the elder Bielawski said.

Luke Bielawski has set up a website where people can follow his progress. He plans to keep a blog and provide updates on Twitter and Facebook.

The website, Get on the Green, is also where people can click to donate toward the goal of raising $100,000.

About 90% of the 140 students at Indianapolis' Providence Cristo Rey this year are living in poverty. The school's mission is to help these kids receive a high-quality college-preparatory education while also introducing them to a corporate work-study program in which they spend time working professional, entry-level jobs while still in school.

Heidt said the program is working - each of the 17 graduating students next month has been accepted to college - and getting more popular. Enrollment is expected to grow to 200 next year.

Luke Bielawski has no direct connection to Providence Cristo Rey, other his Catholicism. He graduated from Cathedral High School, where he says students are instilled with the charge of working for social justice.

"Look, I live in this community, and I plan to stay here and hopefully raise a family here," he said. "When I went to see the school, the work-study programs they have and seeing the energy they have in the building, it's just the coolest thing."

To prepare for the potentially grueling journey, Luke Bielawski said he has been swinging his club 500 times a day in his garage.

He feels ready. He has packed clothes, shoes, the golf balls and about 85 donated irons (just in case he breaks a few along the way).

"And I'm also bringing my own set of clubs as well. Just in case we find a good golf course to play along the way," he said. "Yeah, I'm a little obsessed."

Stops along the way

Here are a few of the cities and approximate dates Luke Bielawski will be playing through on his coast-to-coast journey.